Tales about parenting & lifestyle including the highest and lows

Relationship

A few days ago when I was dropping Jess off at nursery I was informed that they were going to be talking PANTS. I was very confused to what this was all about. They told me that it was a campaign with the NSPCC and it was to teach children to stay safe from abuse. The children were going to be speaking about this at circle time and may have some questions. This is something which since that conversation I have researched more myself. I could not believe that this is a campaign which I had not heard of.

PANTS is a campaign which is fronted by Pantosaurus who is a friendly dinosaur. Using a dinosaur is friendly is going to encourage children to engage and interact with the campaign. PANTS is a campaign which has been going for a over a year which I have not heard of. It is important because we do not want the young children to be subject to sexual abuse.

PANTS actually stands for privates are privates, always remember you body belong to you, No means No, talk about secrets which could be upsetting you, and finally speak up someone can help.

Privates are Privates.

Which means that you do not need to show them to anyone else. Your private parts are something which only you should see. It encourages children to keep their genitals in their own pants so they are not going to be flashing. This is something important because you do not want your child flashing all because it is not socially acceptable.

Always remember your body belongs to you.

This means that you do not have to do things which others tell you. If you are asked to show some private areas which you do not feel comfortable in doing you can say NO. Your child needs to know that they can tell someone who you actually trust if they are in this situation. For example they need to know that they can tell you because this is important . It means that you can actually deal with the situation in the way you feel most appropriate. This may include going to the relevant authorities if you feel this is required.

No means No.

This means that people have consent to see anything private. If for some reason you do not want them to see you can say NO. For example if they wanted you to show something private you do not have to show them at all. It’s important that your child knows that they can say no if they do not feel comfortable doing something. They are in control of their own body if they do not want to do something they do not have to which is very important. It is also important to make sure that they know there is sometimes times when they will have to do things which they may not like. For example show an area to a doctor, nurse or an adult who has responsibility for them.

Talk about secrets that upset you.

This is going to help you because the child to know that they can speak to you about anything which could be upsetting them. This could be anything it does not have to be anything to do with sexual abuse. It could be anything which is upsetting them all children want to know that someone cares about them. If they have any worries that want share with you they need to feel comfortable in been able to do this. This will hopefully easy any worries which you have as a parent because they can talk to you about things which may be worrying or upsetting them. This can be even things which may seem really small to them like they have had a rough day at nursery because someone has not wanted to play with them or something like this.

Speak up, someone can help.

This is be about anything no matter how small your child may think the issue actually was. If your children are feeling sad, anxious or frightened they know they are going to be able to speak to people. It does not have to be you who your child speaks to. We all know it can be hard to speak to your own parents when something is the matter. However if, the person they speak to is a teacher, someone at their nursery or a family member. Children and for that matter adults should not have to worry about things there is always people that you can speak to and they are not going to judge you for how you are feeling.

I feel like the PANTS campaign is something which should be spoken about more because we do not want children been scared. Sexual abuse is one of the worse things which can happen to you and it is not pleasant so been able to protect more people is key. Talk to your children or other children who may trust you about the PANTS campaign and keep them safe. They are never too young to learn about things like this.

Traveling and exploring the world is something which I have loved since a young age. I soon want to see even more of it at the moment this has not happened for several reasons. I think that hopefully next year we will be able to go on a short haul flight with Jess. I would love for her to be able to do long-haul flights in a few years because it would mean that I could visit some of the places which I have been dreaming of visiting on honeymoon. Before you all ask no we have no plans at the moment to currently get married.

The Maldives

The pictures which I have seen of The Maldives look amazing everything looks so picturesque. 1,000 coral islands make up this part of the world which means there is more than enough space for everyone. Depending on where you actually stay as well it could see you have to get a speedboat or a seaplane to your resort. There is a range of stunning places to stay as well including iconic overwater bungalow, an opulent villa hidden away on a secluded beach, or a luxury hotel room.

This place looks so Instagram friendly and there are some amazing options which you can choose to do to make the honeymoon even more romantic. These include sunset cruises to beach picnics, private candle-lit dinners to oversized bubble baths filled with rose petals. This for sure is a place I am sure even I could relax in it does look like paradise.

Dubai

This is somewhere which I have seen several people visit in the past few years. There is not a huge flight time I think it is around the 7 hours mark and you can even fly from the North which is always a bonus. I love the idea of been in a city but also been able to have beautiful beaches which you could relax on. There is also a water park which looks amazing. I love water and this would be somewhere which would be great to visit.

Helicopter rides, boat trips around Dubai look and sound amazing it would be the best way to experience such a beautiful place. The views which you could also have while you dine would be some of the best in the world. I think if Dubai is not a place which we visit on our honeymoon it for sure will be a place where we visit at some time in the future.

South Africa

South Africa sounds like a perfect country to visit on your honeymoon. This would be great to visit in the winter months as this is when it is the warmest in the country. It is home to safari’s which would be amazing because for sure I would love to be able to see some of the animals in the wild which we have only seen in the zoo’s previously.

South Africa is also home to some of the world’s most beautiful undisturbed natural beauty spots. Some of the beaches just scream at me and make me want to jump on them asap. The flight time is only 11 hours which I am unsure about doing with Jess but maybe when she is older and it’s our honeymoon it may be fine.

Carribean

I have not chosen an island which I would love to visit on the honeymoon. This could be due to the fact that they look so amazing a lot of the places have a private beach and this makes me feel like it is even more romantic. It is always warm which means that it would not matter what time of year we decided to get married and go on the honeymoon.

The feeling of the white fairytale sand between my toes is something which I can imagine. Seeing some of the wildlife in the sea is something which I would love to do. There is something about having turtles and fish swimming between your legs sound tropical. I think this is something which we could do as a family as well. I know it would be somewhere where I would like to visit on our honeymoon but it is more than likely that Jess will be coming as well.

California

This is a place where Joe visited when we started dating so I have been able to see pictures first hand of some of the places which he had. From some of the stories which he has been shared with me I know I would love to see some of the places which he has seen.

I think the mixture of being able to do some shopping and get bath and body works candles which for anyone who knows me is like the dream. As well as being able to be on the beach and make some amazing memories at a special time. This is again a place which if we do not visit on our honeymoon is a place which we will actually go.

When looking at honeymoons and long-haul flights I have been using Destination2. They have some amazing looking holiday destinations as well as ones which are designed as honeymoons. For sure when we are looking to book a holiday this is one site which I will be visiting.

In the middle of December, the weekend before Christmas Joe and I decided to go on a child-free break. Due to the fact we had not been able to have a holiday with him been away for the majority of 2017. We did not want to travel that far because we know travelling over the festive period was something which was going to occur.Forest Holiday’s are a company which we have stayed with before so we knew there high standards. The Compton site was where we stayed at this time which is not very far from Pickering in the North Yorkshire Moors. There are 10 locations in total we have now stayed at 2. For sure I would love to go to some of the other ones maybe not in December though. Due to the fact that we having a really nice treat yourself break we choose to stay in the Golden Oak Hideaway. This was even more luxurious than the standard golden oak we stayed in a year previously, however, these do only sleep two people.

With views like this from the windows, how could you not want to visit? Even in December when the cabin was surrounded by ice the views were stunning and you felt so remote and disconnected from the world. This is something which I think all of us need time to time. There was a wide array of wildlife which visited while we were in our cabin I am sure this would only increase during the summer months.

Even though it was minus -2 outdoors that did not stop us having a cosy time with golden oak you get fluffy robes, great for throwing on after been in the outdoor hot tub. There is always a log burning stove in the lounge which makes it even cosier I can tell you there aren’t much better things. Than to cuddle up when its cold outside in front of the log fire. In our cabin, we also had underfloor heating throughout which was great when you were on the cold kitchen floor cooking or just out of the shower. If you go in the summer months there is also a hammock and a gas barbecue to use on the decking, however, it was way too cold for us to be using that this visit.

One element which you do get as a result of this being marketed as an ultimate romantic package is a sunken double bath. I will warn you that it did seem to take an age for the bath to run and we couldn’t get the temperature correct which meant we did not spend a lot of time in it. You can make this even more romantic by having the mood lighting on as you can see in this picture.I would say that this element would be great if you went with someone who liked baths. I know for sure I could take a couple of lush bath bombs and spend hours in this bath. There is also a walk in shower which is great for using before and after the hot tub.

Talking about the hot tub this is something we did spend a lot of time in this year. Even though the cabin is designed for two people it still has a hot tub which could easily cater for four people. It is attended to every single day which means that it is always ready for you to use. Also, it is clean as you can see it has a light so you can see what you are doing. This also has jets which can be moved you get the benefits where you want them. Even in the winter you can enjoy the hot tub and have a few drinks in it this is something which amazing. This is something I can imagine doing with friends even if you had a shared cabin.

After all of the chilling out you might want to cook you could order food from the forest retreat either straight to your cabin. On the other hand, you could eat it in their restaurant however, we have always cooked in our cabin. This is something which we like to do as it gives us something to do and cooking is something we enjoy anyway.If like us you like to cook there is a fully equipped kitchen meaning you can easily cook. It even has a dishwasher which means there is no need to wash up which is always one of the boring jobs. You can buy food from the shop, however, it can be pricey and the selection is not that vast. I would recommend going to the supermarket before you arrive. The cabins also come with a dining table which means that you do not have to eat from your lap which is something we do not like doing often.

Of course, a trip to forest holidays is all about chilling for us so the comfy sofa is a must for us. It was very cold when we visited and walks in the countryside were limited due to the ice. If you know me I am clumsy and would have ended up slipping and spending Christmas in plaster. We had a large tv as well which kept us entertained we did pay for the entertainment package which is around £35 for a weekend. This allows you the movie channels and wifi which for us are essential as we go when it is bitterly cold. We even found blankets which

One of the best things about going away for me is always staying in a new bed as mine is terrible. The golden oak hideaway has a really comfy double bed. The pillows where that soft as soon as my head hit them I think I drifted off to a deep sleep. As parent sleep is something which I am aware I usually do not get enough of so this for sure helped. The room did not become too light and wake us up in the morning either as the curtains are thick enough. I am not sure if the same could be said in summer months.

Overall

I would recommend a visit to forest holiday’s their cabins can be more on the pricey side, however, for sure memories will be created. They are beautiful high-quality cabins which I for sure would love to visit again. I would love to go back in the summer to experience the difference and maybe some of the activities which are on offer. Such as zip wire and archery however, with hopefully moving house this summer that does not seem to be on the cards.

Going on dates is something which all of doing when we are dating, however, once you actually have children it is hard to find a lot of time to go on dates. This is because you either are doing things which are related to them, for example, we now spend a lot of our weekends spending time doing toddler-friendly things such as going to museums or the park which might not be things we did if we didn’t have a child. Doing housework is something which you spend a lot more time doing because toddlers as we have found make more mess which means you have to spend more time cleaning and tidying.

Today I have decided that I am going to share with you some tips which busy parents could use as date ideas because as we all know Valentine’s Day is upcoming and we all want to woo that special person and show them that the love is still there despite having a child.

The idea is why if your schedules allow instead of having date nights have date days, for example, Friday afternoon is a time when both of us are usually free. We have found that we actually can go to restaurant Wildwood which is a chain. They do food which Jess would eat, however, I know I would feel very uncomfortable their should she kick off which is why we do not eat there with her. There is a branch in the York which is only 20 minutes away from Jess’s nursery which means should she need collecting she could be very quickly. If you have not read the review which I did I recommend going to check it out. Of course, you can go to a restaurant that you enjoy maybe one which you have been to pre-children.

There is no need to leave your own house you could actually get a dine-in meal that m&s became kings a few years ago because you get a bottle of wine a main, side and deserts for between £10-20. This is something which you could do while your child is upstairs sleeping meaning that you do not actually even need a babysitter. As we all know they can be hard to come by. To make it even more romantic you could burn candles and play romantic music like you are actually in a restaurant.

If going to the cinema is something which you liked to do pre-children. Why do you not get some snacks such as sweets and popcorns from the shop and stream a movie because you now do not have to wait as long as you used to in order to see films on DVD. For example, I know that the most recent Thor movie was available within 3 months and this is not that long compared to what it used to be a few years ago. As some of you might know things do not seem to be at the cinema for as long either which is not great when you have to plan trips rather than a spontaneous trip. Also, it can be a lot cheaper than going to the cinema which is always great if you are saving for a house like me.

If you can actually get a babysitter you could book a weekend away it does not have to be somewhere that is a distance away. For example, Newcastle is somewhere which I am visiting at the start of April which is only about an hour and a half away. Make sure that you have someone to look after the children because it is illegal just to leave them at home when they are so young. Exploring a new place and creating some amazing memories is something which would make a special date. Even if you do this once a year this may be worth it, for example, I have a post coming up about something which we have done in order to have a date weekend.

Cupsofcharlotte follows the highs and lows of parenting while raising Jess. Charlotte, a twenty-something, sport watching, coffee consuming mum. Currently studying a degree while trying to be the best mum I can be